Lithuanian diplomats are working with European Commission officials on the text of a clarification of the Kaliningrad transit sanctions, says Asta Skaisgirytė, chief foreign policy adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
“Lithuanian diplomats in Brussels are talking with European Commission officials, they want to agree on a text that would be acceptable to both Lithuania and the European Commission, and this is good, this is not the case where the EC just tells us to do things and we just do them,” she told LRT on Thursday.
According to Skaisgirytė, Lithuania is sticking to several principles in these discussions: transit countries must not be limited to Lithuania only, but must also include other transport directions to Kaliningrad via Latvia and Poland.
“First of all, transit countries should not be limited to Lithuania only. Goods from mainland Russia can also reach Kaliningrad via Latvia or Poland, and we have to keep in mind the fact that if there’s an agreement on how it should travel, it has to be in place for everyone,” the president’s adviser noted.
“Lithuania’s policy so far has been to ban and control the transit of sanctioned goods. The moment of control must remain in place, and when someone speaks in public about ‘green corridors’, there can be no talking about Lithuania not controlling what is happening on its territory, where it is happening and why it is happening,” Skaisgirytė said.
Lithuania banned the transit of steel and ferrous metals through its territory from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad after the EU sanctions, adopted in mid-March, came into force on June 17.
Russia considers the sanctions to be Lithuania’s hostile action and a blockade of Kaliningrad. Lithuania rejects the accusations, calling it propaganda and noting that the transit is subject to EU sanctions.
The European Commission is currently working on a clarification of how the existing sanctions on Russia should apply to the Kaliningrad transit.
Moreover, under the fourth sanctions package, a ban on the transit of cement, alcohol and other products is set to enter into force on July 10, followed by a ban on the transit of coal and other solid fossil fuels on August 10, and then a ban on Russian oil from December 5.
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